Hi there! My husband and I will be traveling to Japan for 10 days in a few months. We’re planning to see multiple cities in that time and already have Kyoto and Tokyo on the list. Wanted to check with this group if anyone has recommendations for 1) activities/food/etc. in those cities and 2) other cities worth seeing!

In Kyoto you need to try the Kobe beef.
We went to Hiroshima for 1 day, it was beautiful and worth visiting specially the memorial for the atomic bomb. Kanazawa is beautiful as well. And Mount Fuji area is picturesque.
In Tokyo street you need to try the small bite size grills (bacon wrapped peppers, cheese,...).They have takoyaki (it's street food like a pancake ball filled with octopus it's a must try. Also okonomiyaki (flat pancake with eggs and noodles and other stuff) is worth trying.
All the food we had in Japan was exceptionally well prepared, simple, fresh and delicious so you don't need to worry (anything you try would be worth eating)

I just got back from 10 days in Japan with my son.. so good!
Add Osaka to your list. The 3 cities (Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka) had SUCH different vibes.
We stayed at a hostel in Shinjuku , which was part of his onboarding to backpacking.
But our hotel in Kyoto was great - KYOTO GRANBELL HOTEL
+81 75-277-7330
https://g.co/kgs/Q42YYs
GOOGLE.CA
KYOTO GRANBELL HOTEL · Japan, 〒605-0802 Kyoto, Higashiyama Ward, Yamatocho, 27−番

Barbara I’ll be going with my two pre-teen sons in February hence this is really useful. What “teen” activities do you consider a can’t miss?

Jacob my son is about to turn 18, so other end of teens but:
- Osaka has a whole street of card trading shops. Pokémon heaven!
- teamLabs Planet in Tokyo was a hit
- he loved the conveyor belt sushi place
- the ridiculous claw-machine arcade places would be a blast for pre-teens
- Nara park with the deer (plus the crazy mochi punching guys) were fun
- bullet train to anywhere!
For my son, a lot of what he wanted to see was from movies/video games/TikTok stuff, so maybe not on a preteen’s radar. His favourite thing was just wandering through alleys at night, peeking into little bars, building up the courage to go into one.

Barbara amazing. Txs so much. Let write it all down and plan what we can.

I’ve been to Tokyo four times. You’re in for a treat.
/:/
Y100 = $1 / Y1000 = $10 - basically strike two digits off any price to convert.
Shinjuku neighbourhood:
-Meiji Jingu, one of the holiest shrines. Take advantage of your jet lag and go at dawn before the crowds, it opens at 5 am so make it the first thing you do.
-The main street with all the flashing signs at night, Yasukuni Dori, is the opening scene of Lost in Translation with all the lights reflecting on his windshield in the taxi
-Park Hyatt Tokyo's New York Bar is the bar in the film where they meet. Entry is free before 9 pm, but a beer is expensive. It's on the top floor of a tower though so think of it as an observation deck (ie. it costs $40 to go up the CN Tower) that's how I justified it.
-Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building aka City Hall has a free observation deck. It's the tallest building in Shinjuku. You literally go inside and to the elevator and a person presses the top floor for you and then bows to you as the doors close, then you emerge to a sweet view for $0. Must see.
-Ramen: Fuunji (Yoyogi 2-14-3, near Shinjuku station), google map it, if you get to the corner and don't see it because the sign is only in Japanese, you should see a police officer in the little police booth there, just say Fuunji he'll know
-Yakitori: at night there's a narrow alleyway Yakitori Alley it's literally under the train tracks of Shinjuku station and its packed with people grilling meat and drinking beer (izakaya) as trains rumble overhead it's really awesome and unique
-The craziest department stores ever: Lumine, Times Square. Massive stores that sell everything like the most intricate hand painted Japanese dishwear and kimonos and fashion brands you haven't even heard of, but the craziest thing is the food level (basement) which has a shocking variety of perfectly presented dishes on display a truly dizzying array of colours and tastes .. come hungry.
-Yodabashi, 7-storey camera and electronics megastore, taking up a block... gadget geek heaven
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Shibuya
-Shibuya crossing! World's busiest crosswalk, also featured prominently in films.
-There's a building there called Shibuya Mark City it's another big store, the basement level is called Tokyu Food Show and is Japan's biggest food hall with dozens of vendors it's again a dizzying array you'll want to eat it all. If you go to the tall bit of Shibuya mark city which is a hotel and hit the top button on the elevator you emerge to a windowed hall way with a wicked view over the crossing for free, just act like a guest and pretend you belong
-Shibuya Booksellers a famous English book store if you're into that
-The 7 floor flagship Muji is in Shibuya - Japanese IKEA. Simple design household stuff.
-Sushi: Uogashi Nihon-Ichi (walk away from Shibuya station, cross the famous crossing and up the neon lit mall towards the HMV sign, there's a McDonalds opposite a Burger King, it's next to Burger King and the English bit on the sign says "standing sushi bar")
-next stop on the line is Harajuku but you could walk it in 25 mins, Harajuku is the adjacent neighbourhood and it's like.. Hip Shibuya, it's just more off the wall and quirky. cosplay.
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Chiyoda
-the Imperial Palace garden, where the Emperor lives. Japanese garden in the middle of Tokyo its the green square downtown when you google map tokyo immediately noticeable. lots of corporate HQs in the area glistening towers, manicured streets
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Akhihabara
-the famous 'electric town' -- 6 or 7 floor arcades, massive anime posters, cosplay in the street, 5 floor retro video game stores (go to Super Potato off Chuo Dori) -- anyone who grew up in the 90s and liked Japanese video games .. heaven.
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Asakusa
-The famous Senso Ji temple, narrow streets of classic japanese architecture
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Ginza
-gotta go to the Ginza, it's the most expensive real estate per square ft in the world. really high end. lots of rich people fancy cars like yorkville but way way crazier. you won't be able to afford anything but it's cool to walk around and see how the other half lives.
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Roppongi
-popular hangout for foreigners lots of cafes and bars. the main thing is Mori Sky Deck in Roppongi Hills .. there is an outdoor deck on the helipad on the roof of this tall building in central Tokyo that affords you a wicked view and no glass glare in your pictures and the wind blowing in your hair since you're outdoors high above Tokyo and can see it's concrete jungle stretch forever (don't worry there's a railing and a net you won't fall off)
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Tsukiji - world's largest fish market. come early if you wanna see an auction and you can even eat the freshest sushi for breakfast before it makes its way to restaurants outside the market
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other stuff:
-great ramen and sushi is everywhere and often surprisingly in train stations, since trains are such a big part of the day for many japanese. there's a michelin starred sushi restaursnt with a waiting list in a train station basement - seriously. look for full places that's always a good sign. the bottom line is you can't go wrong more or less. you will get quality everywhere.
-train will take you everywhere for cheap. english signs too. there are two train systems each infinitely better than the TTC, the map will be bewildering. there is the Subway and the JR (Japan Rail, regional, like GO), so pay attention to which you're on since they're separate tickets so can't transfer on the same fare between them, like you can't transfer to TTC from GO, but they serve a lot of the same destinations so its easy to get confused. JR runs above ground like GO, Metro runs underground. the main thing is the JR Yamanote Line (the green circle) will take you everywhere you need to go in Tokyo. It's the world's coolest train line. Shibuya, Shinjuku, Tokyo Stn (downtown), Akhihabara, Harajuku, etc
-there are lots of cool cafes in tokyo for your java fix, but the ubiquitous Family Mart (seriously they're everywhere best convenience store) has amazing espressos for $1 like you won't believe it's a convenience store coffee, perfect cup every time, arguably my favourite coffee in the world is from a convenience store! Not too weak, not too strong. Just right. Also a great place to stock up on tasty snacks we don't have in Canada!
-Konichiwa (hello) and Arigato-gozaimas (thanks very much) with a smile go a long way.
-in addition to the main Meiji Jingu, Senso Ji etc, look for little shrines tucked in alleyways as a refuge from the busy streets of tokyo -- it's the ultramodern next the ancient.
-Japanese ATMs are often incompatible with foreign debit cards, but the JP Post (post offices) are everywhere and all have an ATM that works with canadian cards. so before you waste time going to like 4 banks and getting rejected just look for a post office!
-The "Time Out: 100 Things to Do in Tokyo" pamphlet available at the airport tourist info stand along with a free map is full of good ideas.

Ross Angela Choo Emilee Yu

Ross amazing tips. Txs so much. Taking.notes for my February trip with my 2 preteen boys.

Ross After reading your tips I'm ready to book a flight to Japan. Arigato!

Ross wow, what a great summary. Thx for taking time to share!

Ross amazing tips! Those need to be in a file on the page! Thank you!

Ross wow, amazing array of things to do. Makes me want to hop on the next flight to Japan. Thank you for that.

Ross Thanks for taking the time to do this detailed post. I was supposed to go to Japan in November 2020, but alas that didn't happen. This will incentivize me to make plans again.

You may want to explore maybe max of 3 towns maybe just two there’s so much to see!

Hakone!

Sarah I second this! Nice change of pace and scenery, and you can enjoy a hot spring experience.

For 10 day trip, are you buying the rail pass for the bullet trains? Saves so much time. The rail pass also lets you use some local transit. I would check it out.
I would recommend 3 cities with small day trips.
We stayed in Osaka and took day trips on the bullet train to Himeji, Hiroshima and Miyajima Island. Then Kyoto, And ended in Tokyo.
Food:
Osaka - go to Dotonburri, a street market with tons of food. Takoyaki, karaage, gyoza, so much. You can have Kobe beef there (instead of another town).
Hiroshima - okonomiyai (our favourite type)
Miyajima Island has a market as well. Get some momoji.
Kyoto- matcha is super popular. Pork buns. Hit up Nishiki market for all the food. Soy doughnuts.
Arashiyama neighbourhood of Kyoto- Niishin Soba (wheat noodle with mackerel)
Tokyo - Japanese curry, taiyaki, Tsukiji market (best fresh sushi)

Bridget I’ll be there in Feb for 11 days with preteen kids so will be taking your advice. Txs.

I second Hiroshima and Miyajima island. That was probably my fav part of the trip. 1000000% worth it.

Bridget I echo u - did the same many years ago

7 Eleven egg salad sandwiches !!
Trust me

Allan 711 has Michelin Rated instant noodles in Japan!

7 Eleven has former food in Japan

Love 7 eleven onigiri !!

Highly recommend finding a small but busy 'conveyer belt' sushi restaurant in Tokyo. Our favorite was nearJR Ueno station in the old black Market area. Cheap, delicious and fun!!

The train pass is way worth it for the bullet trains. When i went i did Kyoto, tokyo and osaka. To see the temples in kyoto it’s better to go on a bus tour, easier to get to them and guided tours get priority entrance. I booked mine on viator. You can do Hiroshima in one day on the bullet trains from Osaka i did but it’s a long trip.

My favourite place in Japan was Nagaskai

In Tokyo the Shinjuku district. I loved the VR and karaoke-- cliche but so fun!
Also gokarts through Tokyo streets-- getting your international license is easy.
Skytree tower is an amazing view night or day to get a sense of how huge the city is.
And tsukiji seafood district for sushi if you want the real deal (I prefer kobe beef).

Following also going there in end kf April

Roman Pepe Katelyn Macdonald

Go to Osaka!

Harajuku on a Sunday is a must (located in Tokyo)

Hiroshima and miyajima are a must. The tower on top of the City Hall in Tokyo is free.

Absolutely need to check out StreetKart. Driving around in a go kart around Tokyo is honestly one of the most memorable experiences I've ever had.

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum - I visited at 18 and 30, and both times it touched me to the core. An absolute must.

Kamakura is a must visit just an hour out of Tokyo. It is a former capital and loaded with history.

Okinawa is fabulous. It is the Hawaii of Japan. Quite a trip south. But amazing. Also try to stay in a ryokan if u can. There are plenty. Maybe close to Kyoto would be nice. Take an onsen. Happy travels.

Agree with those recommending to also go to Osaka, in addition to Kyoto and Tokyo.
For ATMs, you can also find them in the 7 Elevens!

My wife and I did Osaka, Kyoto and Nara a few years ago and we're going back - to further explore Osaka. It's a really, really cool city. Not very touristy and lots of hidden fun spots. My favourite spots were: Zeroku Hommachi (100+ year old ice cream/coffee shop) and Marufuku Coffee (1930's cafe) Nara is really cool as well for ancient temples (older than Kyoto) Nara Hotel was a splurge, but worth it for the experience.